Lessons SD voters taught us on election night

South Dakota voters didn’t leave any doubts Tuesday about the political leadership and the political direction they want taken in the state.

They want state government to balance its budget, so they put into the South Dakota Constitution the language that Gov. Dennis Daugaard proposed.

They also took a similar stand for fiscal responsibility by amending the constitution to provide for a payout from the state’s cement-plant trust fund, that would be more appropriate to the uncertain times in the investment markets.

That was an idea which Rep. Paul Dennert, D-Columbia, sought in bipartisan cooperation with the Daugaard administration.

But voters strongly rejected a constitutional amendment providing more flexibility for corporations, as well as a new grant program for business projects in excess of $5 million that Daugaard and Republicans in the Legislature wanted.

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Voters strongly rejected an additional 1 percent of state sales tax for public schools and Medicaid that the South Dakota Education Association and the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations put on the ballot.

Voters strongly rejected the public-school reforms package sought by Daugaard and supported only by Republicans in the Legislature.

Yet in legislative elections, they strongly approved Republicans staying in control. They elected enough Republicans for two-thirds majorities again to the House of Representatives and the Senate.

And they strongly endorsed Republicans for statewide office. They re-elected U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem and confirmed the appointments of Chris Nelson and Kristie Fiegen to the state Public Utilities Commission.

The bottom line seemed to be they want responsible Republicans in office, they want prudent financial management and low taxes, they want schools to get by on their current revenues, and they want local control of their schools preserved.

They also wanted Democratic President Barack Obama to be replaced by Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Voters in many of the more-populated states had a different idea.

In the end, Democrats didn’t gain any ground in South Dakota this election. They also didn’t lose any. But neither the PUC candidates Nick Nemec and Matt McGovern, nor U.S. House candidate Matt Varilek reached 43 percent.

McGovern and Varilek barely proved more popular than Obama. Nemec trailed all of them.

And, for the sixth consecutive election, South Dakota voters sent a woman to the U.S. House to represent them. That hadn’t happened before 2002. Now it’s nearly becoming a tradition.

As for Fiegen’s surprisingly strong victory, it showed that playing nice and staying positive can pay off.